Device for Detecting Magnetic Signals Generated by a Beating Heart

Abstract

A device is for detecting magnetic signals produced by a beating heart. The device includes at least one nitrogen vacancy center, NV, a magnetometer unit, configured to sense a magnetic field strength and/or field direction, at least one further sensor, and a signal processing unit, to which the at least one NV magnetometer unit and the at least one further sensor are connected. The device is configured to, using the signal processing unit, determine at least one effective magnetic field strength and/or at least one effective field direction from the signals of the at least one NV magnetometer unit and the at least one further

1 . A device for sensing magnetic signals generated by a beating heart, the device comprising:
 at least one nitrogen vacancy center, NV, magnetometer unit configured to sense a magnetic field strength and/or field direction;   at least one further sensor; and,   a signal processing unit to which the at least one NV magnetometer unit and the at least one further sensor are connected,   wherein the device is configured to determine at least one effective magnetic field strength and/or at least one effective field direction, using the signal processing unit, from the signals of the at least one NV magnetometer unit and the at least one further sensor   
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to determine a repeating reference point in the signals of the at least one NV magnetometer unit, to divide the signals of the at least one NV magnetometer unit into individual signal sections based on the reference point, and to determine an effective signal section from the signal sections using the at least one further sensor. 
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to determine a position of a user using the at least one further sensor, and to determine from the position of one of the at least one NV magnetometer unit whether it is close to the heart or far away from the heart. 
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to determine a calculation specification using of the at least one further sensor, and according to the calculation specification, to determine the at least one effective magnetic field strength and/or at least one effective field direction from the signals of the at least one NV magnetometer unit. 
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one further sensor is configured to detect at least one measured variable selected from a heartbeat, an electric field, an oxygen saturation in blood, a pressure, a force, sound, a temperature, an acceleration, a magnetic field strength, a magnetic field direction. 
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one further sensor is a magnetometer unit without nitrogen vacancy centers. 
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the at least one NV magnetometer unit as a sensor medium comprises a diamond crystal or a portion of a diamond crystal with nitrogen vacancy centers, and   the device is configured to sense a magnetic field strength and/or field direction by reading out a spin resonance dependent on the magnetic field strength in the sensor medium.   
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 at least one excitation light source configured to radiate light into the sensor medium;   at least one microwave source configured to generate generating a resonant field in the sensor medium; and   at least one photodetector configured to sense resonance-dependent fluorescent light from the sensor medium.   
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 8 , wherein at least two NV magnetometer units are associated with a same excitation light source and/or a same microwave source. 
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 7 , wherein the sensor medium of at least two NV magnetometer units each comprises a section of a same diamond crystal. 
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 7 , wherein a distance between a sensor media of at least two NV magnetometer units is between 1 and 30 millimeters. 
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a data interface. 
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 12 , wherein the data interface comprises at least one of WiFi interface, a cellular interface, an Internet interface, a direct interface to a communication center, an interface for querying licensing data, an interface to a cloud, and an interface to a mobile platform. 
     
     
         14 . The device according to of  claim 12 , wherein the device is configured to enable a software update and/or software upgrade using the data interface and/or to make an emergency call. 
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 1 , further comprising an analysis unit configured to select data having certain properties from the magnetic signals.